SOME SUGGESTIONS

Evening Post, Volume C, Issue 50, 27 August 1920, Page 7

SOME SUGGESTIONS

WORKERS' COMPENSATION

WHAT AMERICA DOES

A considerable amount of study lias been de-voted to the subject of the improvement of the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Act by a section of' the Labour unions, notably the Freezing Works and Belated Trades Employees' Association. A certain amount of literature has already.been issued by'them on. <the subject. Yesterday a deputation consisting of representatives of the Freezers' -Union and the Agricultural and Pastoral Workers' Union waited upon the Minister for Labour (the Hoii. Sir W. H. Herries) and laid before him their views. The deputation was introduced by Mr. P. Fraser, M.P. Mr. M. J. Reardon, who, was the spokesman for the deputation, and. who had studied, the subject in America, recalled that at one time New Zealand was supposed to haye the best Workers' Compensation Act in the world, but in recent times we had been sitting back, 1 -and the world had passed us by. He had' brought bick with him from America, vety full information on the subject, which he would be pleased to place at the disposal of the Minister. The Minister : "We intend to introduce a Bill this session." Mr. Eeardon said that lie understood this was so.. He emphasised the point that among their members they had a large percentage of what wel'e termed "seasonal/ workers, men who were employed on work that lasted only for a season, and, if anything happened to them which lost to them their' jobs during that period it meant that their year's work ■ was practically gone. The first, thing they asked for was a. board to be set up to consist of three members, as in California, which would- determine in all cases what compensation should be paid for accidents. The deputation were not there to make Complaint about the Arbitration Court.. The Court has settled disputes in the past, but they only came before it as the tesult of one or more of the- parties being dissatisfied, and rwhen. someone was prepared to fight. Under the proposed system all accidents were reported »to' the commission; and the latter determined whether the amount of the compensation was. fair. Under the New Zealand, law the' Wealthy insurance company eat on .one side of the table, and on the- other the' individual who had been injured, unable often, through .want of education or because he was unused :to the game, to present his Case adequately, and without the means to employ assistance. He was often pre--pared to accept what was; offered.--Kirn.'. The Minister : "It is laid- down in the. schedule what we should get." \ Mr. Eeardon : "Every lawyer would say that the schedule is ' one of the finest things, foi' the; legal profession." The la,w, ind'S©d, had existed more for the benefit of the insurance companies than, for the people.. N6 one, had ever contemplated that it would be so, -but actually it had been / so. sA few years ago he had gone into the matter carefully,, anjl had found that for "every £100 contributed by the ..etaployers, two- ■ thirds of. it went to the insurance; companies,, in either profits or office expenses; and only the other third; went to the parties for whom it was collected; That had not been contemplated by tin© legislators:- It Was desired to limit theseprofits.',, The commission they proposed'would have power to settle all disputes. Its decision would be final. V . The Minister /. "Only in t regaa-d' to compensation, not wages?" ' ; . . .-■•'- Mr. Reardon : "Yes." In addition they proposed that the .commission, should have power to inquire what the accid^^l■t was due to, and to initiate steps that would prevent -similar accidents ■ occurring again. Another, provision suggested was- that the commission should insist npon full provision, being ihade by ..employers for "such medical, surgical, hospital) and other 1 treatment as was requisite to cure an individual from the effects of an accident;" They thought that since ■an industry caused an .accident, it should' be responsible for bringing the victim back to health. ' That was done under .the Californian law. The sum of &l a, weefc, paid at'present did not amount to any: assistance in.the case of an accident nowadays. The whole of the medical expenses should be borne by the insurance companies. In California, it was also the practice, where the best;expert attention was riot available in th« town in whicKj the victim of an accident lived, foi* him to be sent to where it was obtainable; The commission should also have powe^ to supervise and control the State Coihpepsation for Accident Insurance Fiindf so .that full provision for adequate insKi 1-1 a-nce- coverage against liability for employers should be available, at moderate cost. Mr. Eeardon pointed out that the latest reports from California showed that, as the amount of the business that was got from the employers increased, so the overhead cost of ' management went down. The Government there was doing 40 per cent.- of the business of the State, and the overhead charges were only 10.48. He invited the Minister to compare that record with the available costs of the insurance companies here—which would be found to be 'about 30 per cent. As the amount of premium .receipts increased, so the overhead charges fell. He believed that in this way they could meet the objections to 'the increased benefits aekecL-for. • It -was proposed further, said Mr. Reardon, that the Commission should "determine any matter arising' 'under the Act, co that the administration ofvit shall accomplish substantial justice expeditiously, inexpensively, and without encumbrance of any description." This' provision would meet the weakness of the L existing law. Ip New Zealand. Further, the compensation should be the fill! amount of the wages earned at the time of the accident. During the time of injnry, said Mr. Beardon, the household expenses wel'e greater than before, and yet during tlia-t time the amount^ allowed under the New Zealand law was reduced by h^lf. 'The full amount of wagea should be paid. This waa especially necessary in the case of men lyho earned the seasonal wages, referred to. It was also desired that the maimed man or woman should be paid compensation according to the value of the loss of a limb or a permanent injury in the particular occuijation in which he, of she, was engaged. In conclusion, it was asked that the death benefit should be- liot less than £750, and not more thai £1500, for full dependency. Mr.■'Reardon'said he would be very glad to submit all the information at his disposal to the Government. The Minister said he Was pleased to have heard the vei'y interesting facts supplied) and he would be obliged if Mr. Reardon would give evidence before the Labour Bills Committee, which was already Considering two important Lu^ bpur Bills. The proposals outlined would mean a -very drastic eharnge in the legislation Of the country. He was not proposing to go" a<3 fat, as that thia session. He proposed to remedy some of tho anomalies of the Act, and then, ■ perhaps next session, to set up a commission to go into the whole of the Labour Laws of the Dominion, and have the law amended altogether. The anomalies ■would have been attended to before but for the war. He Would call for . the assistance of the Labour unions in getting the legislation passed, ,